Tech Exclusive

Total War: Rome II Review

Total War: Rome II Review

“Total War: Rome II” is the type of strategy game which is meant to appeal to a very specific type of gamer. Someone who is perhaps a big fan of history and/or titles which focus on the ages of antiquity will obviously fall in love with this game straight away. In fact, Rome II is billed as one of those rare games which seeks to “portray each culture of the era as accurately and in-depth as possible”, which is a very tall order. Nevertheless, Sega and the developer, “The Creative Assembly”, have done a wonderful job of creating a multi-faceted title which provides stunningly deep gameplay amidst a familiar historical setting.

In short, Total War: Rome II officially kicks off in the year 272BC, and the main campaign of the game is supposed to last for 300 years (although you can keep on playing if you wish). There’s an incredible level of depth to this game; meaning, there’s a lot to take in. Aside from learning strategies, you’ll fight and plot over a fairly sizable world map and even see skirmishes break out in encampments, along rivers, at sea, and even while transporting supplies. We’re talking about the total experience here, all the way down to politics and diplomacy.

Visuals

If you’re a sucker for good graphics, Total War: Rome II certainly won’t disappoint. Whether we’re talking about zooming in to the ground level where your camera is nearly eye level with your soldiers or flying high above land masses while observing your progress, this game looks really great. Furthermore, each and every terrain is visually impressive as well, there’s no drop in luster as you move from area to area. Standing in a wide open area with your troops poised to do battle, you’ll really appreciate the nice visuals which come courtesy of the heavily modified “Warscape” engine.

Gameplay

Naturally, regardless of what a title looks like, if it doesn’t have some great gameplay elements to offer up then it’s not really worth your time. Luckily, Rome II excels in this particular area. In fact, between managing your empire via the campaign map, building / maintaining settlements, and observing battles raging on in real-time, you’ll have your hands full. It’s also worth mentioning that you can also be somewhat devious in your approach to diplomacy, which adds an entirely new layer of complexity to the action. As you build up your political prowess, the course of certain events starts to become shaped by your decisions. Moreover, even the power and influence of your compatriots will often play a role in determining how things turn out.

Verdict

The simple truth is that strategy game fans are going to go bonkers over this game. Total War: Rome II more or less encapsulates everything that fans of the genre have been waiting for in terms of its visuals, gameplay and overall execution. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this title takes its time and builds slowly. Highly recommended.